Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

C H A P T E R 4
TM: Strong game content is directly related to strong software development tools. Some developers
build tools into 3ds max using MAXScript, others use MEL/Maya, others write their own proprietary tools
as “stand-alone” software tools, yet others must use the tool associated with a licensed engine solution.
This contributes to what I’ve called “tools shift” and makes for a fractured experience as developers
move around in the industry. What do you see in the near future for design tools implementation?
NH: I don’t see this fracturing of tools as something that is likely to go away in the near future. To
date, there still isn’t even a general consensus among engineers from one game development company
to the next about the most efficient development tools. However, a designer can still survive and be
strong in this environment if he/she is flexible and willing to adapt. Creative world-building concepts
can generally be applied independently of the specific tool, provided that the tool capabilities are at a
certain minimum level.
TM: How important is it for designers today to understand scripting languages? Which ones would
you suggest new designers learn? Python? Visual Basic? Others?
NH: Similar to programmers and artists, the field of designer is becoming more specialized in the
industry. And the level of knowledge and hands-on skill expected from a designer is also rising. While it
isn’t a requirement that a designer learn a scripting language, designers that have no production trade
(“paper designers,” as they are sometimes described) are quickly becoming obsolete. The two most
common areas of production work for designers are world building and scripting. Assuming scripting is
the chosen path, I’d say that the specific language is almost irrelevant. Because each game is likely to
be scripted in a slightly different way (and potentially with a different language) than any other game,
it’s most important that a scripter/designer first understand the workflow of scripting, then be willing
to adapt (and possibly even help co-design) to any scripting system that most suits the game being
developed. So learning any off-the-shelf language package will lay the groundwork for proper training.
TM: With the time to game delivery limited, and the demand to satisfy the gaming audience with
content regularly increasing, what do you think of the idea of “modularity” in tools design? Do you think
most developers will build their tools to allow for game content to be constructed like a digital-Lego system?
NH: This is what nearly every game development house aspires to achieve. Of course, they all
fall short to some degree—when tools become general enough to make cutting-edge games using a
building-block type system, then programmers may become obsolete! But I think solid, intuitive tools
design is absolutely essential to making a high-quality game in a reasonable amount of time. The
earlier in development the tools can be stabilized, the more time the design and art teams will have
to create and refine content.
TM: Let’s say we were building an action-oriented RPG. We desire a drag-and-drop construction
system with easy (and full) scripting support. Would you be inclined to build it into Maya (for instance)
or write a stand-alone editor? Why?
NH: The “ideal” development tool is still not widely agreed upon. As with many things in game
development, each choice on this issue is all about pros and cons. If a game is to be laid out and
implemented primarily by designers or has a significantly large scope, it might make more sense to
write a stand-alone editor that stresses easy world and game event construction rather than sophisticated
modeling capabilities. On the other hand, if the environments were to be stylistically complex or
intricate, this would be difficult to achieve without using Maya or a comparable program. I suspect
that in general, as games continue to compete more and more heavily on aesthetics, we’ll see more
and more developers go the route of integrating into Maya (or even 3ds max).
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Actors, Props, Items, and Camera Details